Many faucet assemblies are shown in the prior art that avoid the cramped and tight spaces beneath a sink by providing top mounted faucets. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,395 to Krippendork, U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,629 to Nelson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,922 to Agresta, U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,141 to Schmitt, U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,728 to Pilatowicz et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,370,712 and 6,385,798 to Burns et al relate to faucet assemblies that can be mounted on a countertop, vertical wall or other surface without requiring access to the other side of the surface.
In Krippendorf, a back-up plate 10 is inserted into an opening in the surface C, a top plate 17 is placed over the bolt 14 on the back-up plate 10 and another bolt is screwed into the plate 10 to clamp the two plates to the surface C. The faucet is then screwed by bolts 6 to the top plate 17.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,143 to Botnick, a faucet manifold is provided that mounts to a countertop over water-conveying access openings. Valve members, water-conveying conduits and a spout assembly are connected to and carried by the plate. The plate is connected to the countertop by toggle bolts.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,774 to Allgood, a roughing-in frame and access panel is disclosed for the faucet valve stem of a shower. The roughing-in frame is first attached to wall stud 13e, 13f and the panel 30 is placed thereover, being held by the handles 32a–c and spout 33.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,835,301 to Hennessey shows a plumbing fixture panel 66 that covers a recess 23 in a shower wall, a support 24 that receives valve supporting plate 25 within the wall, and the valve stems and shower head that projects through the panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,266 to Mongerson et al discloses a bathtub plumbing fixture having a mounting plate 38 situated on the inner side of shower wall 30 and plate 28 connected together by bolts 42 to sandwich and clamp the wall surface 30 therebetween. The mixing valve 50 may be attached to the mounting plate 38 by screws. The mounting plate 38 could be attached to an interior 2×4 extending between wall studs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,031 to Moore shows a modular pre-plumbed shower unit in which a wall 11 having an opening through which water lines 32, 32′ having extensions 33, and 33′ protrude, and plumbing tree 25 connected by brackets 36 to wall 11. The tree 25 has a control valve 26, conduits 27, 28 for connection of shower fixture 13 and tub spout 14, and a shell 17 secured to the plumbing tree and overlying the wall. The shell has openings through which the shower fixture, tub spout and control valve handle extend.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,204 to Mullick discloses a modular bathing unit that has a module 526 with water, control and electrical lines interfitted with the water, control and electrical lines of feeder section 86 during installation.